


You were the song stuck in my head

by BrokenTailLights



Category: 5 Seconds of Summer (Band)
Genre: Fluff, M/M, Michael is Calum's muse basically yes, Song writing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-23
Updated: 2016-07-23
Packaged: 2018-07-26 08:17:39
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,695
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7566931
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BrokenTailLights/pseuds/BrokenTailLights
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Where Calum is writing a song and uses Michael as a muse, and Michael becomes bashful of the constant flickering eyes and small smiles proceeded by scribbled lyrics</p>
            </blockquote>





	You were the song stuck in my head

**Author's Note:**

> I honestly hate myself so much for writing this I don't even know what it is I just love malum
> 
> [Title taken from Favorite Record by Fall Out Boy]

"What're you doing?" The words are gentle, spoken softly into dark skin, breaking an unknown silence, but only a  _delicate_  breaking, and not a  _shattering_.  
  
Calum looks at his boyfriend and smiles slightly before voicing a reply,  
  
"Writing" he murmurs, before going back to chewing the tiny eraser at the end of his HB pencil, which wasn't much longer than his ring finger, and Michael knew that the constant chewing and repetitive sharpening had caused this.  
  
"What're you writing?" He tries again, in attempt to gain the attention of his boyfriend although he's completely oblivious to the fact that he's the only thing on Calum's mind.  
  
"A song" The younger boy answers shortly again, glancing down and throwing the green-eyed-boy a fond grin before scribbling out a few words.

Michael isn't sure what he's writing, because he can't exactly see from the way he's leaning against his boyfriend, and by the way that Calum is tilting the small notebook slightly away from him, although the older boy isn't sure whether this is intentional or not.

"What's it about?" Michael speaks up once more after a few more minutes have ticked past and Calum isn't showing much signs of putting the song away. He seems adamant on finishing this tonight.

Michael isn't sure if he enjoys nights were Calum is insistent on finishing whatever he's working on. He thoroughly enjoys watching his boyfriend write, however, the way that small wood chips fall from his mouth and sometimes rest daintily on his lower lip after he's bitten the end of a pencil till it's basically only a stump. He enjoys watching the way that Calum will mutter softly to himself, tapping out a short beat against the paper pad, and how he'll absent-mindedly card a hand through Michael's hair whilst he thinks deeply. He enjoys the way that Calum is so passionate about his song writing, how he'll never write unless he wants to, and he won't finish until he can.  
  
Michael even enjoys the small things. He enjoys watching the way that his boyfriend will let out small puffs of air from his lips when he starts to get a bit fed up, how he'll make small paper boats out of abandoned music sheets, how his eyes will brighten up when he's struck with an idea, only to dull down when he becomes stuck again. How his boyfriend will sing random parts to him, because Michael's opinion matters before anyone else's, how he'll fold the edges of the paper until there are more creases over the one sheet than there probably are on tumble-dried clothes.

“What's it about?" Michael repeats, and Calum slowly drags his gaze away from the paper to answer him this time, although Michael isn't incredibly satisfied with the answer he receives,

"You'll see."

The next twenty minutes are spent in silence, whilst Calum's left hand still toys with Michael's hair as he leans against his boyfriend's arm. He could fall asleep like this, he really could. Instead, he opts to use to his fingers to draw little shapes up and down the younger boy's thigh, drawing little circles around his knee then huge lines back up to the top of his leg. His actions go unnoticed, or so he thinks, as Calum continues to chew at the end of the pencil, looking a little frustrated as he struggles to continue.

"Stuck?" Michael asks, and although his voice is quiet, it makes Calum jump a little, which of course makes the older boy giggle.

"No just- just need a word"

"Maybe I can help?"

Calum hesitates for a second before shaking his head,

"No, I'm sure it'll come."  He pauses, looking away quickly from Michael's frowning face before continuing "I'll try again tomorrow. Let's get some sleep, babe"

And Michael will never protest to that because it's what he's been wanting ever since they sat down there over an hour ago, so he and his boyfriend don't waste any time settling into the sheets, cuddling up, and as soon as they hit the sack, are out like a light.  


***  


It's six am when Michael awakens to find the spot next to him empty, and naturally he freaks out because his boyfriend has disappeared.  
But then he rolls over, to be met with a sight of beauty, as there sits Calum Hood, perched on the windowsill, legs stretched out but knees bent slightly, a pillow behind him, propping him up. But the beauty of it is the soft glow against his brown skin.  
Because the sun is rising, and the sky is red and yellow and orange, but with the curtains slightly peaked open, Calum is bathing in the red and the yellow and the orange light, despite being oblivious because he's bent over his notebook again, concentrating hard on whatever it is he's working on.

"What're you doing?" Michael asks, and his voice is scratchy but quiet, so the question comes out sounding overfond and doting,

Calum jumps at the noise, almost falling off the windowsill at the sudden scare, but he manages to steady himself before shooting the other boy a grin,  
  
"Writing" he replies, just as he had the night before, and Michael is suddenly pouting,  
  
"Why are you up so early, to write?"

The answer is delayed a little this time, and Michael begins to think that Calum hadn't heard him, but then his voice is speaking and Michael smiles,  
"Just had some ideas" He shrugs, eyes flickering over to his boyfriend before scribbling down something else. Michael wishes that he could just see the damn song already.

"Is it the same song as yesterday?" He asks. There's a long pause this time and Michael isn't sure if it's because his boyfriend is concentrating, or if it's because he'd rather not answer,

"Yeah" he breathes after a prolonged silence, but Michael doesn't get time to dwell on it, because all of a sudden Calum is jumping from the windowsill and shoving the notebook and pen into his side drawer.

"Come on" he grins, taking his boyfriend's hand "let's go and have some breakfast."

The vague answers and curiosity towards this secret project is almost instantly killed from Michael's mind.  


***

  
The project continues in the evening, when the sun is setting and Michael is trying to make some kind of dinner whilst Calum lounges on the kitchen counter, pencil wedged between his bottom lip and top teeth, as his eyes scan over the words in his notebook.

There's a breeze escaping through the window that Michael had pushed open slightly when the kitchen started steaming up, and it ruffles Calum's hair whilst he works, blowing the small curls from in front of his face, although he mostly remains oblivious to these small details- once again absorbed in the creation of this special song.

"Are you done with it?" Michael asks finally, knowing that he shouldn't disturb Calum whilst he's in this mindset, but right now he's really itching to know the details of this song.

"Yeah" Calum snaps his notebook shut, eyes flickering over to his boyfriend and smiling, a big smile of teeth and wide lips and bright eyes, "It's done. But it isn't perfect. Not yet. It needs.. a random spark of something. Then it'll be done."

  
Michael isn't quite sure what the spark is, but he understands the younger boy's words perfectly, having written his own fair share of songs in their career, and knowing that not all songs are as easy as a good melody and flattering lyrics, but some require just a little bit more. The little bit more can be found at any time, and sometimes it isn't found at all (hence, the many songs they scrap from the albums) but Michael hopes Calum's creation isn't from the latter, as he is now itching to know what he came up with.   
  
Instead, he pushes a serving each on to two platters and brings them towards the dinner table,  
  
"Food." He says once, and Calum leaps off the counter almost straight away to join his boyfriend and place a chaste kiss to his cheek as a means of gratitude for the meal. Michael melts.

***

  
"Mike.. Mikey-" Michael groans, scrunching up his nose and rubbing at his eyes, irritated that he's being woken up. When his eyes do manage to fully open, he groans again upon the realisation that it is nowhere near the hours of dawn, but rather is pitch black. With a quick glance at his clock, he manages to read the time; 03:06. What the fuck.  
  
"What?" Michael mutters accusingly at the younger boy who's only smiling fondly, not at all looking like it's 3 am, but rather like it's twelve in the afternoon and he's had a great morning.   
  
"I found the spark" Calum grins widely, and even in the dim light of a simple lamp shade, he looks like he's glowing.  
  
"It's three in the morning, Cal" Mike groans a third time, although he knows he isn't sleeping until Calum gets what he wants, so he doesn't bother burying further into the covers.  
  
"I know silly, but here- sit up." Calum pulls Michael by the hand, pulling him into a sitting position and allowing him to rest against the headboard.  
"I- I wrote you a song" He says softly, so softly that even Michael's startled but gentle gasp is audible  
"And well, you know, I've been working on it for a long time, and well, I know I'm not always the best boyfriend but I wanted to do something special. And it's not great, I promise it isn't- but it _would_ be great if you could listen.." Calum stops himself from talking in time to grab at the guitar that rests next to their bed and pulls it into his lap, strumming the first few chords before breathing deeply.  
  
Michael nods over at the younger boy, in an urging but also motivating manner, indicating that he's listening. 

  
Calum only responds to the nod with a small grateful smile, but it does the trick as he begins to sing the first few words,  
"I need your love to light up this house..."


End file.
